Best ending to an episode of Lost ever? It’s a tough call because it’s a crowded field of competitors all vying for the crown. It comes down to personal opinion and, for me, this takes the prize. The absolute jaw-to-floor interface the moment Michael takes the gun off Ana Lucia could be described and discussed for how much impact it generates, but better is to just watch the thing and see it for yourself.
How I watched this scene was like this: Back in Season 2, here in the UK we were well behind the air-times of the US. It’s all changed now, but back then pretty much an entire Season of Lost would have been shown in the US before it was shown in this country. I didn’t know or care about that back during Season 1, but once I realised the US was well into Season 2 whilst I was still sitting around waiting for it was truly an annoyance. (I wanted to know what the hell was down the hatch!)
So began the beginning of my downloading Lost before it was shown here and watching it on my computer. It’s a practice I still continue with, even though it’s shown in the UK just a few days after the US now. But back then I downloaded stacks of episodes and watched them all in my spare room, computer monitor pointed towards me. My girlfriend at the time, she didn’t care for watching television on the computer and was happy to wait for Lost to come on TV ‘properly’. So I invariably watched it alone.
When I watched the episode Two For The Road it was late on a Saturday night. I had no idea what I was in for. And then that scene played out, and the screen went blank and the episode was over. Past midnight, the house quiet and the world dark, I went to bed and could not sleep, mind reeling from the shock and astonishment at what Michael had done, and what was potentially going to happen next (had he killed himself as well!?).
No other episode ending of Lost has had such a profound effect on me, which is why I consider it the best of them all. I’d be happy to hear about your own particular favourites, though, and the reason why.
Showing posts with label Finest Moments. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Finest Moments. Show all posts
Jacob's Cabin
Given the recent events of the episode Follow The Leader, particularly Locke's questioning of the existence of Jacob and Ben's relationshio to him, I thought it would be pertinent to re-visit that awesome scene when we first saw Jacob's Cabin back in The Man Behind The Curtain as part of my 'Finest Moments' series.
I think this scene is right up there as one of Lost's highest peaks. I remember vividly my absolutely riveted attention during the scene, when we saw Ben yelling at what appeared to be an empty chair. I am sure you, like me, thought this was to be the revelatory moment where we, at the same time as Locke, realised that Ben was utterly delusional and insane and was taking orders from a man named Jacob a bit like Norman Bates taking demands from his mother in Psycho (a clear reference point, with the rocking chair).
Indeed, Locke's inference in Follow The Leader that Ben has never seen or heard Jacob causes us to re-watch this scene more closely with the perspective that it may very well be an elaborate stageplay from Ben to trick Locke. At this moment in time, that's unclear.
What isn't unclear is the crazinesss that ensued, with the smashing and banging and fire (the breaking lantern has some people convinced time shifts back and forth during this sequence) after that deep voice from the depths: "Help me." Not to mention the blink and you miss it shot of Jacob in his chair. Incidentally, the close-up of the eye in this scene is also supposed to be Jacob's eye - further proof that there really is someone existing in that cabin.
After all the build-up, this first excursion to the cabin and the introduction of Jacob lived up to the hype and never has an excursion to that wooden shack since been more dramatic. I've wanted to know more about this place from this scene on - maybe in the upcoming Season 5 finale I'll get some satisfaction. . .
Charlie's Sacrifice
Desmond had been banging on about it for most of Season Three. Every other sentence was "Yer gonna die, Charlie!" with that guy. So that Charlie actually did die probably didn't come as much of a shock. It was more a matter of when, and how.
The moment he elected to swim down to The Looking Glass there was very much the air of it being his last mission, and so it proved (though he lasted a bit longer than we thought he might on account of there being a living environment down there complete with a couple of trigger-happy lesbians*).
Still, what a death. For me, the best death of any major character. Drama and emotion and excitement all pulled off in one grand scene. Enjoy. . .
The reveal of that mad bastard Mikhail holding a grenade was just a delightfully twisted Lost moment. Charlie's final moments were pure heroism; scribbling the 'Not Penny's Boat' message down before surrendering to the flooding water with a last cross of his heart (harkening back to his time in the church).
I also particularly enjoy Michael Giacchino's scoring of this whole sequence. And that last shared connection between Desmond and Charlie, when he reads the message and nods his acknowledgement. So much said with absolutely no words.
A lot of words followed, mind. From people discussing why Charlie locked himself in the room in the first place (it can be justified in all kinds of ways, but the one I have settled on is that he was ensuring he died to justify Desmond's vision of Claire being rescued) and the dubious overlooking of hydrostatic principles (fear not, those who are unaware, my next glorious post covers this very issue). No matter which way you slice it, it was a terrific scene and a top class send off for one of Lost's veteran originals!
*The assertion of lesbianism to Bonnie and Greta in The Looking Glass may not be entirely, strictly factual. But it does make for a potentially interesting spin-off series - Bonnie And Greta: The Looking Glass Months. You know you'd watch it.
Eko Meets Smokey
Given the recent Black Smoke (well, it was more like a grey colour, actually) activity in Dead Is Dead I thought it would be good, for these Finest Moments clips, to take a look at the moment when Mr. Eko confronted Smokey for the first time, and we got our first good luck at the thing.
When I first watched the episode (The 23rd Psalm) I thought we were just going to get another 'monster's eye view' shot, the same way we did when Locke encountered it. So it was a real jaw-dropping moment when we got a good look at what this thing was that had been smashing through the jungle and killing pilots.
That we then got to go though the thing was just a whole new level of surprise. . .
If anyone was under any illusions about just how hard Mr. Eko was, you only have to see him staring down the Black Smoke to be left in no doubt. Oh I do miss him.
The real quality of this moment lies in the fact that, although you may have caught little flashing glimpses of the images within the Black Smoke there's no way you could have understood exactly what was going on there. That's where the good old Internet came into play, adding another level to this amazing scene, with us more devoted Lost fans heading online and discovering that the images that briefly flashed were actually snapshots from Eko's past.
Not only had we now seen 'the monster' for the first time, we were given a whole new means of thinking about what it was doing ('scanning' as a mean of making judgement) and therefore what the thing was. Calling it a 'monster' was not really sufficient after this moment. Oh no. The Black Smoke revealed for the first time showed it was much, much more than just a mere monster.
Arzt's End
Leslie Arzt (bitchin' name) secured his place in Lost history the moment he was killed. It was spectacular – as the video clip below emphasises – but it also worked on the cheeky ‘red shirt’ level of introducing a character solely for the purpose of having him killed to demonstrate the dangers presented to our heroes.
In this instance it was that the dynamite found on the Black Rock was highly unstable and so journeying back to ‘the hatch’ with it was fraught with peril. Arzt tries to explain this point in his wonderfully impatient, patronising way – but by paying the ultimate price he gets the point over a lot, lot better!
Shock and humour and tragedy all in one perfectly executed moment. You can show this clip to anyone who has never even watched a single second of Lost before and it can’t fail to impress them.
For fans like us, as early as Season One, it was extra confirmation of why this show can continue to surprise and delight us. Season One of Heroes had a finale based around an ‘exploding man’. Lost’s Season One ‘exploding man’ was way better.
HURLEY: “You got some Arzt on you.”
In this instance it was that the dynamite found on the Black Rock was highly unstable and so journeying back to ‘the hatch’ with it was fraught with peril. Arzt tries to explain this point in his wonderfully impatient, patronising way – but by paying the ultimate price he gets the point over a lot, lot better!
Shock and humour and tragedy all in one perfectly executed moment. You can show this clip to anyone who has never even watched a single second of Lost before and it can’t fail to impress them.
For fans like us, as early as Season One, it was extra confirmation of why this show can continue to surprise and delight us. Season One of Heroes had a finale based around an ‘exploding man’. Lost’s Season One ‘exploding man’ was way better.
HURLEY: “You got some Arzt on you.”
The Blast Door Map
Anyone I’ve ever watched this sequence with the first time they watched it, from the Season 2 episode Lockdown, they all have the same reaction. It’s the precise same reaction I had. There’s tension generated from the silence as Locke waits to hear if ‘Henry’ had pushed the button, and then the lights go down, and suddenly the Blast Door Map is revealed in the hum of fluorescent blue.
Everyone's reaction, like mine was, is to generally exclaim something like “What the hell?” and probably lean forward in their seats to get a closer look. Try it, if you ever get the chance. Get someone who has never watched the show and watch the whole thing through with them – there are stacks of killer moments to enjoy their jaw-dropping surprise with, and their reaction to the Blast Door Map reveal is one such pleasurable hit.
Amazingly, so far as Season 5, Episode 8 at least, this is the only time we have ever seen the Blast Door Map. Bizarre, don’t you think? That these ten or so seconds of screen time are all we have ever been given? This is the only time we have ever seen it!
Perhaps the reason that feels so unlikely is probably due to the fact that online, on Lost sites and blogs all around the world, the Blast Door Map has been discussed, deciphered, poured over and analysed to death. We can talk about certain notations that were on there casually, perhaps forgetting that someone who only watched the show and never looked online will have only ever had that one fleeting glimpse and really gained no real insight into what information the map contained.
In fact, you could go so far as to suggest that it's moments such as these that cemented Lost has the show you needed to go and research and read about online after you had finished watching if you were going to truly appreciate what you had seen. There's simply no way to take in all that's on display in one shot, which leaves the viewer much like Locke; desperately trying to absorb everything we see but ultimately doomed to never manage the feat.
Doesn't stop us leaning forwards in our seats and trying though, eh?
Everyone's reaction, like mine was, is to generally exclaim something like “What the hell?” and probably lean forward in their seats to get a closer look. Try it, if you ever get the chance. Get someone who has never watched the show and watch the whole thing through with them – there are stacks of killer moments to enjoy their jaw-dropping surprise with, and their reaction to the Blast Door Map reveal is one such pleasurable hit.
Amazingly, so far as Season 5, Episode 8 at least, this is the only time we have ever seen the Blast Door Map. Bizarre, don’t you think? That these ten or so seconds of screen time are all we have ever been given? This is the only time we have ever seen it!
Perhaps the reason that feels so unlikely is probably due to the fact that online, on Lost sites and blogs all around the world, the Blast Door Map has been discussed, deciphered, poured over and analysed to death. We can talk about certain notations that were on there casually, perhaps forgetting that someone who only watched the show and never looked online will have only ever had that one fleeting glimpse and really gained no real insight into what information the map contained.
In fact, you could go so far as to suggest that it's moments such as these that cemented Lost has the show you needed to go and research and read about online after you had finished watching if you were going to truly appreciate what you had seen. There's simply no way to take in all that's on display in one shot, which leaves the viewer much like Locke; desperately trying to absorb everything we see but ultimately doomed to never manage the feat.
Doesn't stop us leaning forwards in our seats and trying though, eh?
Season 3 Opening Sequence
What better way to start a new ‘category’ of posts I’m going to be running, all-time favourite personal clips of Lost at its very finest, with the best opening sequence from the show so far? I doubt they’ll ever get as good as this, the opening scene for Season 3.
Just awesome.
The shuddering quake, of course, was caused by Desmond failing to press the button in a timely fashion – which is pertinent as Juliet playing her CD (‘Downtown’, joining the ranks of other indelible tunes that have memorably hit Lost) is reminiscent of Desmond playing his record player during the opening of Season Two. And it’s nice that we got our first mention of Ben, by name, before we knew who he was. That’s the kind of subtlety we miss first time around but gain by viewing the scene in hindsight. Yet, really, this scene – as any opening scene should be – is about the first time impact. The first time impact for me was simply gobsmacking.
I think the first moment my jaw hung open was when Ben (well, Henry, as I knew him then!) emerged amongst the crowd. Instantly my mind was racing, trying to work out what this meant, and then we saw Oceanic 815 crashing (which, frankly, looked amazing the first time and holds up now as one of the best special-effects the show has ever delivered) and then we knew: Holy shit this is on the Island!
Then there’s that bit of information of Ethan and Goodwin being sent out to their respective sides of the Island that gives knowing fans that little bit more insight than they previously had. But the payoff arrives with that awesome pull-back reveal, as we see exactly how this little ‘Otherville’ (sure, it would eventually get a proper name: The Barracks) sits on the Island.
Not for nothing is that image sitting at the top of every page on this blog. It’s amazing. Never fails to continue to be so. Just like this sequence as a whole.
Just awesome.
The shuddering quake, of course, was caused by Desmond failing to press the button in a timely fashion – which is pertinent as Juliet playing her CD (‘Downtown’, joining the ranks of other indelible tunes that have memorably hit Lost) is reminiscent of Desmond playing his record player during the opening of Season Two. And it’s nice that we got our first mention of Ben, by name, before we knew who he was. That’s the kind of subtlety we miss first time around but gain by viewing the scene in hindsight. Yet, really, this scene – as any opening scene should be – is about the first time impact. The first time impact for me was simply gobsmacking.
I think the first moment my jaw hung open was when Ben (well, Henry, as I knew him then!) emerged amongst the crowd. Instantly my mind was racing, trying to work out what this meant, and then we saw Oceanic 815 crashing (which, frankly, looked amazing the first time and holds up now as one of the best special-effects the show has ever delivered) and then we knew: Holy shit this is on the Island!
Then there’s that bit of information of Ethan and Goodwin being sent out to their respective sides of the Island that gives knowing fans that little bit more insight than they previously had. But the payoff arrives with that awesome pull-back reveal, as we see exactly how this little ‘Otherville’ (sure, it would eventually get a proper name: The Barracks) sits on the Island.
Not for nothing is that image sitting at the top of every page on this blog. It’s amazing. Never fails to continue to be so. Just like this sequence as a whole.
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